Gold has been mauled this week as the commodity sank to a four-year low. But it may get a lot worse, according to economist Claude Erb, who said that his gold price forecast could see bullion tumble to $350 an ounce. Erb deserves to have his opinion taken seriously, as he was among the only analysts predicting a long-term bear market for gold back in 2012. Rather than sit smugly by as gold lost $500.00 in value since his prediction, Erb has gone on the offensive this week and said it could get much, much worse. He bases this prediction...

The deflationists argue that hugely accommodative monetary policy in the U.S., Japan (and nearly everywhere else in the world) has failed to produce real growth. Debt and obligations to social programs such as Medicare and pensions are so massive they can’t be paid. Therefore, according to deflation forecasters, they won’t be. Their predictions of default and accompanying bank failures, bankruptcies, and surging unemployment were bolstered by recent news out of Greece. Falling commodity prices and economic malaise have reemerged. They claim zero interest rate policy and quantitative easing merely delayed the inevitable for a bit. The inflation camp shares the...

When Eric Schmitt's metal detector got a hit about 15 feet below the ocean's surface, he didn't think much of it. Most of the time, the metal detectors uncover beer cans and lead fishing weights. But this time was different. This time, the treasure-hunter from Sanford struck gold, and a lot of it. Treasure-hunting Sanford family strikes gold-again Holidays are a lucky time for a treasure-hunting family from Sanford, Florida. Last year on Labor Day, the Schmitts made national news when they pulled several pieces of a solid gold chain - more than 60 feet in all - from the...

A little less than four years ago, the world looked like it was about to end and gold hit an all-time high of $1,895 an ounce. The United States had manufactured a debt crisis, and Europe hadn't been able to manufacture a solution to its actual debt crisis, so panicky investors sought safety... [snip] That didn't mean, though, that gold wasn't a good short-term investment. It was. Just not for the reason goldbugs thought. Now, the problem with gold is it doesn't pay any interest or dividends, but it does cost money to store. So you have to pay up...

China’s loss is India’s gain. International investors are pulling out of China and plowed $705 million into India since June 12, sending the Sensex Index 7% higher. But does India have any near-term catalysts? The buzz on Narendra Modi‘s landmark reform Goods & Taxes Bill is back. An important panel in the Upper House of the parliament, which Modi’s political party does not have majority in, already approved the GST bill. Now Modi just needs to get this bill passed in the Upper House. But worryingly, the monsoon session of the parliament, which opened on Tuesday and will end on...

On Friday, alongside China's announcement that it had bought over 600 tons of gold in "one month", the PBOC released another very important data point: its total foreign exchange reserves, which declined by $17.3 billion to $3,694 billion. We explained all of his on Friday in "China Dumps Record $143 Billion In US Treasurys In Three Months Via Belgium", and frankly we have been surprised that this extremely important topic has not gotten broader attention. Then, to our relief, first JPM noticed. This is what Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, author of Flows and Liquidity had to say on the topic of China's...

Things are not so sweet for the sugar market. Prices have been tumbling and reached a six-year low on Monday on news that Brazil's cane growers are in for a bumper harvest. But while gold made the headlines, the dramatic fall in the sugar price was widely overlooked, despite closing down 4.4pc, compared with a 2.3pc slump in the price of bullion. Over the past year alone, sugar prices have fallen by a quarter. So why has everything turned sour? Bumper Harvest Monday's sharp price drop was driven by signs that Brazil, the world's biggest producer of sugar, is on...

BullionDirect, Inc. has filed a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The case is 15-10940-tmd in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Western District of Texas (Austin). Noteworthy is that BullionDirect, Inc. now has only one direct, Dan Bensimon (President, Chief Restructuring Officer and Sole Director). I find this encouraging. It also only lists 11 unsecured creditors in the list of the 20 largest unsecured claims. This may be due to the fact that it is a Chapter 11 (e.g. Kitco's CCAA/bankruptcy filing did not include customers as creditors, as their storage customers did not appear on their balance sheet). But...

NEW DELHI: India is determined to ensure steady crude oil supplies from Iran and is even considering settling payments with gold in the short term before the two countries agree on a mutually accepted currency and a bank to clear the transactions."We have written a letter to NIOC (National Iranian Oil Company) asking it to suggest a bank where US sanctions are not applicable," a government official involved in the matter said requesting anonymity. Another official said India could settle crude oil import transaction using gold in the short term, while efforts to resolve the deadlock continue. An Indian delegation,...

Gold plunged to its lowest level in five years on Monday, triggered by heavy selling overnight and signs Chinese demand may be weaker than expected. Prices plunged by as much as $40 an ounce in minutes when Asian markets began trading around 9.30 pm ET on Sunday, before stabilizing in European trade. By 9.15 am ET, the metal was down about 2% at $1,110, having dived below $1,100 -- a level not seen since 2010.

It's still months away, but amid all the turmoil on financial markets and chaos in the global economy, you can't help but look forward to this year's Oktoberfest. Incrementum's ninth annual In Gold We Trust report analyzes gold primarily as a monetary asset and not as a commodity like say hops or barley. The Liechtenstein-based asset managers conclude that "the competitive position of gold relative to paper money and other asset classes has improved considerably in recent months" and have 140 pages of charts and tables to prove it. Many comparisons from everyday life show that gold is currently not...

Gold just hit a five-year low. On Friday morning, the precious metal fell more than 1% to as low as $1,129.80 an ounce, the lowest since 2010. In a morning note to clients on Friday, Accendo Markets wrote: "Gold ($1,144) lower yet again after the German conservatives voted to start talking about the details of a third Greek bailout while Grexit plans were locked away for the time being. So when investors are confident, they sell gold; when they're worried, they don't buy it. A strong US dollar with all this talk of interest-rate hikes likely contributing to gold's seeming...

The State of Texas is setting up a gold-backed bank that will allow depositors to bypass the controversial Federal Reserve System and its fiat currency in banking and commerce, according to the state representative who authored the recently enacted law. Under the measure, passed overwhelmingly by lawmakers and signed in mid-June by Republican Governor Greg Abbott, Lone Star State officials will establish and operate the Texas Bullion Depository for anyone who would like to deposit and trade in precious metals. The implications are as big as Texas.While some analysts have said the move may be another sign heralding Texas’ eventual...

Boeslunde is in Zealand, the large island that sits between mainland Denmark and the tip of Sweden. It’s a hotbed for archaeology in Denmark since it has served as a connective hub for thousands of years—netting recent finds as diverse as 1,000-year-old viking jewelry to actual fortresses in the past year. Boeslunde, where the spirals were discovered, is “a special sacred place in the Bronze Age where prehistoric people performed their rituals and offered gold to the higher powers,” according to the Danish National Museum’s curator, Flemming Kaul. The constant discovery of new gold around the area has spurred more...

famed Fort Knox is a facility managed by the U.S. Mint. Curiously, however, in a recent exchange of e-mails with a gold investment blog, the former director of that agency demonstrates a disturbing lack of knowledge about the precious metal supposedly stored there. And the Federal Reserve may be hiding the location and value of the allegedly missing bullion. On July 1, Koos Jansen of goldseek.com published another in a series of posts exploring the fate of the gold allegedly kept in vaults at Fort Knox, Kentucky. In his latest article, Jansen makes some startling claims that if proven true,...

Texas has a stockpile of gold. That gold is kept in New York City in an underground vault managed by HSBC. Texas has decided it wants all its gold back in Texas. Earlier this year, Governor Greg Abbott signed a law that had sailed through the Texas Legislature. It sets up a depository facility in Texas that will house all of Texas’s gold inside Texas. According to the Associated Press, Texas’s gold measures “about 20 square feet”. I’m thinking that should be cubic feet, but no matter. That’s not the best part. In examining how Texas might get its actual,...

Greek banks are preparing contingency plans for a possible “bail-in” of depositors amid fears the country is heading for financial collapse, bankers and businesspeople with knowledge of the measures said on Friday. The plans, which call for a “haircut” of at least 30 per cent on deposits above €8,000, sketch out an increasingly likely scenario for at least one bank, the sources said.

Forget Fort Knox or the Federal Reserve. Texas has decided to start keeping its gold holdings within in its own borders. But what makes sense politically in such a sovereignty-loving place is creating a logistical conundrum. Texas is the only state that owns an actual stockpile of gold, according to public sector and financial industry experts - not just gold futures or investment positions, but approximately 5,600 gold bars worth around $650 million. The holdings, stored at a New York bank, for some harken back to century-old fears about the security of currency not backed by shiny bullion. The Legislature's...

Some precious metals funds I've been following are approaching lows not seen since 2002. China is buying gold. Russia is buying gold. India is buying gold. Yet these mining stocks continue to fall. I'm thinking this might be a buying opportunity. But I'm usually wrong. And ideas from the FR market sages?

Anyone who pans for gold hopes to be rewarded by the glitter of colors in the fine material collected in the bottom of the pan. Although the exercise and outdoor activity experienced in prospecting are rewarding, there are few thrills comparable to finding gold. Even an assay report showing an appreciable content of gold in a sample obtained from a lode deposit is exciting. The would-be prospector hoping for financial gain, however, should carefully consider all the pertinent facts before deciding on a prospecting venture.

The state of Texas is demanding the Federal Reserve in New York repatriate $1 billion in gold bullion after Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill establishing a state-run gold reserve in the Lone Star state. Abbott signed House Bill 483 into law last Friday, stating, “Today I signed HB 483 to provide a secure facility for the State of Texas, state agencies and Texas citizens to store gold bullion and other precious metals. With the passage of this bill, the Texas Bullion Depository will become the first state-level facility of its kind in the nation, increasing the security and stability...

The lack of faith in central bank trustworthiness is spreading. First Germany, then Holland, and Austria, and now - as we noted was possible previously - Texas has enacted a Bill to repatriate $1 billion of gold from The NY Fed's vaults to a newly established state gold bullion depository..."People have this image of Texas as big and powerful … so for a lot of people, this is exactly where they would want to go with their gold," and the Bill includes a section to prevent forced seizure from the Federal Government. From 2011: "The University of Texas Investment Management...

Last week I wrote a column on MarketWatch that seems to have stirred quite a bit of debate. Within the column, I was pointing to the potential for a multi-decade rally to be seen in the metals and mining stocks. It seems many of you had very strong feelings that this was simply not possible. Over the next few weeks, I will attempt to address the concerns many of you have presented in your comments to my piece.

A petition posted on change.org is urging the International Olympic Committee to take back the gold medal Caitlyn Jenner won in the 1976 Games in Montreal. Jenner, who announced her new name as Caitlyn on Monday and said she has always known she was a woman, competed in the Olympic decathlon as Bruce Jenner. In 1976, Jenner, who was married at the time, was not taking hormone therapy; she may have known she was a woman for her whole life, but she was living as a man, no matter how unhappily, at that time.

In 2011 Barack Obama led from behind a NATO coalition bent on removing Moammar Gaddafi from power in Libya. The removal and death of Gaddafi was, Obama put it, a warning to "iron fisted" rulers everywhere. Syria, Iran and North Korea excepted, of course. Over at Foreign Policy this was hailed as a huge success. "Leading from behind" is an important element of this doctrine. It is no insult to lead but let others feel they too are architects of a plan, to lead without making others feel you are bullying, to lead but do so in a way in...

It’s a town most people in Alabama don’t even know exists. But, that’s not the way things have always been, as this tiny Tallapoosa County community was once one of the largest cities in Alabama. The reason can be found deep beneath the woods near the main road that runs through town. James “Coy” Powell, whose ancestors have lived in Goldville for generations, said he hopes the history of this town doesn’t fade away like the population has. “It’s a sacred spot that I can go back and I can tell people like you, you know this wasn’t easy back...

In 2011 archaeologists happened upon a stunningly well-preserved shipwreck off the coast of Panama. The wreckage, a mere 40 feet underwater, was untouched by looters and still carrying a full load of tools and weapons. Now, after years of work, scientists finally know the ship's story.

"From 1947 when [the] Bretton Woods System really got operating to 1971, when the dollar was convertible into gold at a 35th of an ounce, unemployment in America averaged 4.7 percent. And then we got rid of the Bretton Woods system — we defaulted on it — we went to fiat money, and in the years from 1971 to today, unemployment has averaged significantly above 6 percent. Low unemployment: gold standard. High unemployment: fiat money. But it’s not just unemployment. The bankruptcy rate which Elizabeth Warren likes to focus on was one point something per thousand for years, and suddenly...

Historians agree that some of the Roman military campaigns were motivated by the need to find and control ore reserves required for coinage. Monetary payments were made for a while using un-coined bronze called aes rude and cast bronze ingots called aes signatum. Rome eventually built its own mint and coined silver denarii and smaller coins of bronze. During Emperor Augustus’ reign, a gold coin called aureus was minted, which could be exchanged into silver denarii. Because the Greeks kept their silver drahms as a basis for their monetary system, money exchangers of various currencies were found in large cities....

More Precious than Silver or Gold â€“ A Meditation on the Spiritual Work of Mercy to Instruct the Ignorant By: Msgr. Charles PopeTo instruct comes from the Latin in + struere, which means to build up or (even more literally) to pile up. In English,Â there is also the notion of strewingÂ something. For example, to strewÂ hayÂ or toÂ say that the seed has been strewn. Thus, to instruct means to disperse knowledge or build someone up in what is learned.These days, the wordÂ â€śignorantâ€ť is most often used in a negative or pejorative sense. And thus to say that someone is ignorant usually...

If you’re someone who’s skeptical of government-reported numbers, you’ll find the following chart confirms your suspicions. And if you’re someone who’s attracted to value, you’ll love the chart.There is a lot of criticism of the government’s CPI number simply because it doesn’t really seem to reflect what the average person experiences. Even with gas prices in decline, other segments of our society have seen prices accelerate. Healthcare and college costs are two biggies, rising far more than the current 0.2% reading. And many food items have scary trajectories—ground beef has more than doubled since 2010.Meanwhile, the gold price has fallen...

The Permanent Portfolio is an investment strategy developed by Harry Browne in the 1970s that advocates splitting your money equally across four assets – cash, gold, equities and bonds – and rebalancing back to that split whenever they diverge too much. Mainstream financial planners would probably balk at a 5% allocation to gold, let alone 25%, but how does such a strategy perform in reality and could you get your financial planner to consider it?

The presidential ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton have become ensnared in an obscure gold-mining project in Haiti, as the Democratic favorite for the presidency begins her second run for the White House. In a story that suggests cronyism, questionable ethics and a blurring of the lines between charity and profiteering, The Daily Mail reported on Sunday that Hillary Clinton's brother, Tony Rodham, sat on the board of VCS Mining when the unlisted, Delaware-based junior was granted a permit to mine gold in Haiti following a massive earthquake on the impoverished island nation in 2010. The permit was the first to...

Many of the key figures cited in a scathing inspector general’s report this week are allies of Hillary Rodham Clinton, marking the latest in a series of stumbles for the former first lady and secretary of state that likely forced her to delay her planned presidential campaign announcement.A Democratic strategist familiar with her team’s thinking said they are scrambling to limit the damage and readjust the campaign rollout schedule after the Homeland Security Department’s inspector general revealed an apparent cronyism scandal that ensnared Mrs. Clinton’s brother, Anthony Rodham, and two of her political confidants, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and former...

Full title.....Gold Mine: Hillary Clinton’s Brother Granted Super-Rare Mining Permit from Haiti After State Dept. Sent Country Billions Hillary Rodham Clinton’s brother, Tony Rodham, sat on the board of a self-described mining company that in 2012 received one of only two “gold exploitation permits” from the Haitian government—the first issued in over 50 years. The tiny North Carolina company, VCS Mining, also included on its board Bill Clinton’s co-chair of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC), former Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive. The Rodham gold mine revelation is just one of dozens featured in a forthcoming bombshell investigative book by...

BLM issued a cease and desist order without a court order and without 'Coordination Authorization'....with local authorities. Federal officials acting lawlessly. Possible federal land grab to seize gold rich property on behalf of Chinese government. snip Galice Mining District, JOSEPHINE COUNTY, OREGON-The next Bundy Ranch incident is developing in Josephine County, Oregon. The BLM has served notice to gold miners that they have until April 25, 2015 to stop gold mining….Oath Keepers are on site…Militia on the way. BLM DID NOT seek ‘Coordination Authorization’ with the local community….Sheriff Dave Daniel is NOT considered to be a Consitutional Sheriff. Josephine County...

In a somewhat surprising turn of events, this morning's futures reaction to last night's shocking start of a completely unexpected Yemen proxy war, which has seen an alliance of Gulf State launch an air, and soon land, war against Yemen's Houthi rebels, is what one would expect: down, and down big. This is surprising, because on previous occasions one would expect the NY Fed, or its pet hedge fund, Citadel, or the BOJ or ECB (via the CME's "Central Bank Incentive Program") to aggressively buy ES to prevent a slide, something has changed, and for the BTFDers, that something may...

Akin Oyedele March 23, 2015 Copper just spiked. Copper futures by more than 5% rose to as much as $2.1945 a pound after the closing bell on Monday. That's the highest its been all year. There was no immediate news related to the rapid increase. Prices had been sliding, as China's economic woes meant that it was in less demand for construction. (snip)

(Excerpt) The Minister for Finance in Ireland, Michael Noonan, sold his shares in funds that track European and US stocks and diversified his portfolio including allocating some of his personal wealth into a gold exchange traded fund (ETF) in 2014. Noonan sold out of his positions in the Lyxor Eurostoxx 50 ETF and SPDR DJIA ETF in 2014 and opted to invest in the SPDR gold shares ETF and Portuguese government bonds. He maintained his holdings in SPDR KBW Banks ETF, Ishares FTSE 100 ETF, Market Vectors Agri Business ETF, ETFS Agricultural Commodities ETF. ... Noonan is believed to...

We keep waiting for the bust, the gigantic rollover of oil companies that just plain collapse under their own weight and the $50 price that you get for West Texas Intermediate. It hasn't happened. We keep waiting for the junk bond market that is riddled with $200 billion in oil and gas paper to be crushed by defaults and restructurings. It hasn't been. In fact, the iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bd, the high-yield exchange-traded fund that includes a lot of this suspect paper, is pretty much unchanged for the last three years and has enjoyed a sustained rally...

Gold pared early gains on Friday, on track to break a nine-day streak lower despite the dollar's extended rally as the precious metal market appeared reluctant to extend losses ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting next week. Spot gold traded above $1,154 an ounce in technically oversold territory on the 14-day relative strength index at 25.6.

March 2015 David Petch This article is an update of Gold’s Obituary published back at the end of October 2014. Nothing has changed since that forecast, except the passage of time to arrive at where we are today. Analysis will cover a few currencies and different markets, which should provide a flavour of where things are heading over the next 6-8 months. As a hint, being long commodities as a whole is not recommended in the slightest. I was going to start things off with the Canadian Dollar which should find support no sooner than 72 cents, but since it...

Sydney - A prospector in Australia found a gold nugget weighing 2.7kgs, and worth a whopping US$103 400, a Melbourne-based newspaper reported Tuesday. Mick Brown was scanning an area in Wedderburn, Victoria with a metal detector when he made the find several weeks ago, The Age said. He dubbed it "Fair Dinkum." The nugget is estimated to be worth 135,000 Australian dollars (approximately US$103 400). Brown told the newspaper he thought he was facing a "big molten blob of copper" when his metal detector went off. But a few centimetres below the surface parts of the nugget were visible. "I...

@marco_org Apple has a patent that can reduce the gold content of their 18k gold by half. veg.gy/ZhMF2â€” Sumocat (@SumocatS) Mar 6 2015 1:58 PM Itâ€™s inartfully put (140 characters is a bitch), but as a practical matter heâ€™s correct. Appleâ€™s patent application is for a method that allows them to make 18k gold that has, on a volume basis, less gold than regular 18k gold. How can this be? Itâ€™s because Appleâ€™s gold is a metal matrix composite, not a standard alloy. Instead of mixing the gold with silver, copper, or other metals to make it harder, Apple is...

Customs officials in Bangladesh have seized gold worth around $1.7m (Ł1.1m) from the hand luggage of a North Korean diplomat. Son Young-nam, first secretary at the North Korean embassy in Dhaka, landed in the city on a flight from Singapore on Thursday night. His baggage was searched and almost 27kg (59lb) of gold bars and ornaments were recovered. Authorities in Bangladesh say they plan to pursue charges against him. Mr Son initially refused to allow customs officers and police to examine his luggage.

A man was arrested in New York City's international airport with uranium destined for Iran hidden in the soles of his shoes, the US Justice Department said. Patrick Campbell, 33, who was arrested Wednesday as he arrived at the John F Kennedy airport from Paris, is accused of trying to act as an intermediary to sell Iran 1,000 tons of purified uranium, in violation of US law. The Sierra Leone-based Campbell had been under surveillance since May 2012, when he responded to an ad on the site Alibaba.com by someone looking to buy uranium 308, or yellow cake. The buyer...

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Shortly after dusk along a lonely stretch of Interstate 95, armed robbers hijacked an armored truck, tied up the two guards and disappeared into the night with 275 pounds of gold bars.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Armed robbers stole $4 million in gold on Sunday from a truck traveling north along Interstate 95 from Florida to Massachusetts, authorities said Monday. The two security guards working for Transvalue Inc. of Miami reported pulling off to the side of the interstate about 6 p.m. Sunday after their vehicle began having mechanical problems in Wilson County, the sheriff’s office said. [snip] They were then approached by three armed men driving a white van who ordered the guards to lie on the ground, tied their hands behind their backs and then marched them into nearby woods....